Guides A-Z

Guide describing how to select the siding materials best suited to withstand hazards the home is likely to face within its lifetime.

This measure guide describes the need to install a mounting surface for equipment related to a future solar hot water installation.

Guide describing how to properly apply mulch to landscaping.

Guide describing water metering in multi-family buildings.

Guide describing how to design HVAC systems to be located within the conditioned space of the home, either in a utility closet or in an air sealed conditioned attic, basement, or crawl space.

Guide outlining how to correctly install flex ducts without excessive coils or loops.

Guide outlining how to correctly install flex ducts without kinks or sharp bends.

Vapor retarder plastic should not be installed over fibrous insulation on basement or crawlspace walls unless rigid foam or spray foam is installed directly against the concrete, behind the blanket insulation.

Guide describing how to correctly choose building materials.

Guide describing how to install obvious ventilation controls.

Guide describing oil-fired boilers and hot water heat distribution systems used for home heating.

No outdoor air intakes connected to return side of the HVAC system, unless controls are installed to operate intermittently & automatically based on a timer and to restrict intake when not in use (e.g., motorized damper)

A guide describing how to elevate and secure HVAC equipment for protection against floods, earthquakes, and high winds.

Guide describing various ways of implementing passive and low-energy cooling techniques for a house.

Guide describing how to correctly slope solid surfaces outside a home so rainwater flows away from the home.

Guide describing methods for installing pest-resistant ground cover around foundations to resist borrowing rodents and other pests.

Guide describing how to provide a continuous load path with appropriate connectors to improve the wind resistance of attached porches, carports, and decks during high-wind events.

Guide describing how to correctly vent a clothes dryer.

Guide describing proper installation of high-MERV furnace and air-handler filters.

Guide describing how to install a radon mitigation fan with various types of house foundations.

Guide describing ways builders can block off entry points and otherwise make homes inhospitable to all manner of pests.

Guide describing how to install energy efficient refrigerators in new and exisitng homes.

Guide describing removal of construction debris from flex ducts and protection of ducts and HVAC equipment during construction to keep them free of dust and debris.